Who is running for Criminal District Judge #4 Tarrant County in 2026?

Judge, Criminal District Court No. 4 (Tarrant County)

Andy Porter is the sitting judge of Criminal District Court No. 4 in Tarrant County, listed as such on the county's felony courts page¹, and has held the seat since 2023². He is the Republican nominee for the seat on the November 3, 2026 ballot against Democrat John Brender³.

• Judge, Criminal District Court No. 4 (Tarrant County), a felony court, since 2023¹²
• His campaign site says that since January 1, 2023 he has overseen the most serious felony cases in the court and reduced its average daily caseload from almost 2,300 cases to around 1,300 (the candidate's own account, not independently verified)⁴
• Not stated in the official sources reviewed beyond that he has held the seat since 2023². He is running for reelection as the Republican nominee³.
• Bar poll: Tarrant County Bar Association 2026 Judicial Candidate Poll (Jan 6 to Jan 29, 2026; 441 of 2,026 eligible attorney members voted, 21.8%). This is a non-binding poll of lawyers, not an endorsement by the Association. Results for Andy Porter: Strongly Recommend 21.5% (40), Recommend 14.0% (26), Neutral 9.1% (17), Not Recommend 8.6% (16), Strongly Not Recommend 14.0% (26), Skipped 32.8% (61) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁶⁷.

Attorney, Brender Law Firm (Fort Worth)

John Brender is an attorney at Brender Law Firm in Fort Worth¹. He is the Democratic nominee for Criminal District Court No. 4 in Tarrant County, challenging incumbent Andy Porter²¹.

• Attorney, Brender Law Firm, Fort Worth¹
• The firm's website lists criminal defense and injury cases as its practice areas (the firm's own account)³
• Not a sitting judge. He is the Democratic nominee on the November 3, 2026 ballot, challenging incumbent Andy Porter²¹.
• Bar poll: Tarrant County Bar Association 2026 Judicial Candidate Poll (Jan 6 to Jan 29, 2026; 441 of 2,026 eligible attorney members voted, 21.8%). This is a non-binding poll of lawyers, not an endorsement by the Association. Results for John Brender: Strongly Recommend 23.7% (44), Recommend 9.7% (18), Neutral 11.8% (22), Not Recommend 5.9% (11), Strongly Not Recommend 11.3% (21), Skipped 37.6% (70) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁵⁶.